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Sep 29 2017

Biometric Residence Permit Issuance Suspended

Due to technical issues with the new biometric card printing machines, the authorities have suspended the issuance of the new biometric residence cards until further notice. Residence permit holders with expired permits must obtain an entry visa to ensure that they can re-enter the Ivory Coast.

The situation

Biometric residence permit-making has been suspended.

A closer look

Due to technical issues with the new biometric card printing machines, the authorities have suspended the issuance of the new biometric residence cards until further notice.

Background

The process for acquiring new biometric residence permits was supposed to start in August. The new cards were meant to facilitate the identification of foreign nationals and to prevent counterfeiting of documents.

What this means for foreign nationals

Because residence permit holders with expired permits will not be able to present a biometric residence card, they instead must obtain an entry visa to ensure that they can re-enter the Ivory Coast.

Fragomen is monitoring this situation and will report updates when they are available.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to africainfo@fragomen.com.